Trainee Passenger Transport Planner

Are you proactive, with a genuine eagerness to seek out opportunities for enhancing passenger transport? Are you able to think creatively and craft innovative solutions to challenges?

If the answer is yes, we want to hear from you!

We are looking for a Trainee Passenger Transport Planner to join to join The West Sussex Transport Coordination Group, a vital part of the Transport and Network Operations within the Highways, Transport & Planning directorate.

Salary: £26,403 to £26,824 per annum
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: Full-time (37 hours per week - Mon - Fri)
Location: County Hall - Northleigh, West Street, Chichester, PO19 1RQ with hybrid working.

This role will require the successful candidate to travel to various locations around the county, including regular visits to the depots. Occasional weekend and evening work may be required.

You will also need to be able to travel independently around and outside of the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Pool cars and pool bikes available.

About the job

As a Trainee Passenger Transport Planner, you will take on the important task of supporting the planning of passenger transport solutions across West Sussex, focusing on either public transport or the transport needs of schools and adults.

This role provides the opportunity to learn how the business of passenger transport planning works and gain valuable experience, with the potential for meaningful career progression to a more senior position in the future.

There will be some key responsibilities likely to feature in this role, including:

• Being the essential contact point for answering technical queries from residents and suppliers about transport arrangements.
• Collaborating with the passenger transport planning teams to facilitate the planning of essential passenger transport services, including the deployment of West Sussex vehicles.
• Addressing unexpected issues that may arise, such as a newly vulnerable individual requiring transportation on short notice.
• Investigate operational and service-related complaints with diplomacy and integrity, engaging both external partner firms and internal providers, and ensure all outcomes are documented appropriately.

If you have excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and thrive in a fast-paced environment, we want to hear from you!

About You

To be successful in this role you will be able to demonstrate:

• Strong communication skills with the ability to effectively convey technical information to multiple stakeholders such as staff, agencies, schools, suppliers, service planners, and the public.
• Sound and accurate IT knowledge with a particular focus on Microsoft Office.
• Experience in a customer service environment, including collaboration as part of a team to effectively achieve objectives within established timelines.
• The ability to think creatively and develop innovative solutions to challenges while identifying opportunities for service efficiencies.
• Working effectively under pressure with competing demands and tight deadlines.
• Proactiveness to identify opportunities for enhancing passenger and/or school transport.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

Rewards and Benefits

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

In addition to working within a great team and a brilliant opportunity you will receive:

For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is EIE01467.

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

Struggling to apply? Book onto a Digital Support Session in a library near you to get help navigating our application form (subject to availability)

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to right to work within the UK, satisfactory references, and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.

EC